Things Change, People Change
by xoilu
Summary: Not a good title, I'll think of a better one later. When Zuko became Fire Lord, everyone thought everything was the past and done with. But not everyone feels that way. There are still some people with extreme hatred towards the Fire Lord and his friends.


"Thank you Katara." Zuko said, slightly smiling. Tears flowed down Katara's face. She smiled. "I should be the one thanking you." She said as she helped him up. They turned and looked over to Azula who was screaming frantically and crying. "She looks a mess." Katara said shaking her head. Zuko nodded in agreement. The two turned and walked away, feeling accomplished.

THE NEXT DAY…

Zuko grunted in pain as he struggled to put his robe on. Katara stood by the door way and smiled. "Need help with that?" She asked walking towards him. Zuko jumped, startled. He turned and smiled. "Hey. Yeah, thanks." He said. "No problem. I just want to thank you again for saving me. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead." Katara said as she helped put his robe on him.

Zuko smiled. "Don't mention it. I guess we both saved each other, huh?" Katara blushed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She walked in front of him and looked him. "You look good." She said, smiling. Zuko blushed. "Thanks. I have to look good. I don't want to look a mess like Azula." They laughed. "Well, you should get going. Everyone's out waiting for you." Katara said as she headed out. Zuko nodded.

He walked down the hall, looking at every family photo that hung on the wall. He shook his head. _Why does my family have to be so. . . evil? _He thought to himself. _Well no more of that. I'm putting an end to this war once and for all. _When he got to the end of the hall, Aang sat in the corner, his head down.

Zuko stopped and looked at Aang. "I can't believe a year ago my purpose in life was to hunt you down. And now . . ." "And now we're friends." Aang said, smiling. "Yeah," Zuko smiled. "We are friends." Aang stood up and faced Zuko. "I can't believe a year ago I was stuck in a block of ice. The world's so different now."

Zuko nodded and walked up to Aang. "And the worlds going to be more different, when we build it together." Aang smiled as he and Zuko hugged. Zuko walked outside and Aang followed. When they got outside, the crowd cheered. "Please," Zuko held up a hand to the crowd. "The real hero is the avatar." Aang smiled as he walked forward.

"Today, this war is finally over. I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the fire nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging, a hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided but with the help of the avatar, we can get back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace."

Zuko got down to his knees. "All hail Fire Lord Zuko!" A servant said as he placed the crown on Zuko. The crowd cheered. Zuko stood up and headed down the stairs. He looked at Aang and motioned for him to follow. The two stood in front of the crowd as everyone cheered happily.

A FEW MOMENTS LATER . . .

Katara was sitting on a bench, watching the sunset, a pleased smile on her face. Zuko walked out and handed her a cup of tea. "Thank you." Katara smiled. Zuko smiled back and sat down next to her. "Why are you out here all alone?" He asked. Katara took a sip of the tea and smiled. "Everything just looks so peaceful now. I just wanted to savor the moment." She said putting down her cup.

Zuko looked up at the sunset. "Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't want it any other way." Katara nodded in agreement. "The sunset looks beautiful, doesn't it?" She said, keeping her eyes locked on the sun. Zuko nodded. "Yes, you do." He said. Katara realized what he said and looked at him. "W-What did you say?" She said, blushing. Zuko smiled and looked back at her. "I said, you look beautiful." Katara's face got red. "Oh, uh well thank you I-" Before she could finish talking, Zuko grabbed her and kissed her passionately.

Katara was shocked. She couldn't believe Zuko just kissed her. She closed her eyes and went along with it, wrapping her arms around his neck. The kiss lasted for about five minutes. When Zuko finally pulled away, he looked her in the eyes with a passionate stare. Zuko didn't say anything, he just put his arm around her shoulder. Katara smiled as she placed her head on his shoulder. Her mind flooded with questions.

_Why did he just kiss me? Does this mean he likes me? I didn't pull back, does this mean I like him ? What's gonna happen now? Are we gonna be boyfriend and girlfriend? What happened with him and Mai ? How's Aang gonna feel? Is he gonna stay friends with Zuko?_ She shook her head. _Now's not the time to worry about this kinda stuff. _

Zuko stood up and looked at Katara. He could tell she was thinking about something. Something troubling. "Are you okay?" He asked her. His words drowned out all Katara's thoughts. She looked up at Zuko and smiled. "Yeah. I'm fine." She said as she stood up. "Just thinking." She turned to look at the sunset. Zuko stared at her. "If you say so." He said following Katara's gaze.

After 10 minutes of staring at the sunset, night came. Zuko looked at Katara and grabbed her hand. "It's getting late. We should get some rest." He said. Katara looked at him, a slightly shocked expression. "W-We?" She asked hesitantly. Zuko looked at her, confused. "Yes, we. I need rest too!" He smiled. Katara smiled back. "Right, I'm sorry. My mind isn't functioning right now." She said as she laughed nervously.

Zuko stood at the foot of Katara's bed, waiting for her to finish in the shower. He looked at her baby picture that stood on the nightstand by her bed. He smiled. She was an adorable baby. Her smile was so bright and pure. He put the picture back and thought about all his past memories with Katara. All the fights and her extreme hatred towards him. How he desperately wanted her trust. Not even wanted, he felt as though he needed her trust.

He thought about how accomplished he felt after he gained her trust and the fact that from the day she began to trust him, he began to develop feelings for her. He always thought Katara was beautiful, but he never saw himself with her, considering the fact that she was from the Southern Water Tribe and he was from the Fire Nation.

But now everything is done and over with. The past is the past, he feels maybe there's a possibility of "them" happening. Katara walked out the bathroom, a robe on and a towel wrapped around her hair. She gasped in shock when she saw Zuko. He stood up. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I'll leave." He said as he started walking towards the door.

"Wait." Katara said, putting her hand on his shoulder. Zuko turned around and looked at her, shocked that she stopped him. She motioned for him to sit down. He nodded as he sat at the foot of her bed. She sat down next to him, closed her eyes and sighed. Zuko looked at her, noticing she had something on her mind. "What's up?" He asked, worried at what the answer was going to be.

Katara sighed again. "Zuko, I just wanna tell you…." Before she got to finish talking, a messenger went busting into the room. "Fire Lord Zuko, someone wants to speak with you." Zuko looked at him puzzled. "At this time? Who could it be?" The messenger shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know. But he looks like he means business. He might be dangerous. Want me to bring back up?" He asked, sweat rolling down his face. Zuko stood up. "No need for that. I'll talk to him. If he wants trouble, he's come to the wrong place." He said as he started walking out the door.

Katara followed. Zuko turned around and stopped her. "No Katara, you stay here. If anything happens, I don't want you to get hurt." He said. Katara looked at him shocked. "What do you mean Zuko? I'll be fine I can handle myself, you know that!" She yelled. Zuko shook his head. "You heard the messenger, he might be dangerous." Katara felt her face getting red, she was getting angry. "Come on Zuko I won't-" "Katara, I said no. My decision is final. Good night." He said as he walked out the room and locked the door behind him.

Katara let out a loud scream as she walked over to the bed and sat down. She took the towel off her hair and started brushing it. All of a sudden she heard a loud banging noise followed by running footsteps. It was three men. They stopped in front of her door and banged on it. Katara stood up and didn't say a word. The men banged again, but louder this time. Katara swallowed a lump in her throat as she took a step back. "Zuko…?" She said in a hushed whisper.

"That's it, just knock the door down!" She heard one of the men yell. Katara gasped in shock and ran into the bathroom. She hid behind the shower curtain, her eyes closed. She heard three loud banging noises then a loud thud. The men busted the door down. Katara closed her eyes tighter. "Where is she?" She heard one of the men yell. She opened her eyes and peeped out a corner of the curtain. The three men, she didn't recognize them at all. They must be travelers.

She watched as one of the men pointed towards the bathroom. "She might be over there!" He yelled. Katara gasped as the three men walked towards the bathroom. One of them stop mid step. "Wait. Be careful in there. Remember, she's a master water bender." He said. The other two nodded and continued walking to the bathroom. _Where's Zuko? _Katara thought to herself. A tear rolled down her face as she thought about what could have happened to Zuko.

_Wait, what am I doing? _She thought to herself. _I told Zuko I can take care of myself but here I am hiding out! I need to fight these guys and defeat them to prove to Zuko I meant what I said! _With that being said, Katara stood up and water bended a water whip and pushed the shower curtain out of her way. The two men stared at her in awe. She whipped one of the men, sending him flying back. The other pulled out two long swords. "We'll make this easy for you. Come with us and we won't hurt you." He said walking towards her.

Katara glared at him. "I won't go anywhere with you! I'm warning you, get back or else!" She yelled. The man laughed. _There's no way I can take them by myself. _She thought to herself. She looked at the water whip floating in her hands and blew into it, making a steamy fog. She ran out of the room and into the long hallway. "Zuko! Aang! Toph! Sokka! Where are you guys?" She yelled as she ran frantically searching for her friends.

All of a sudden, she feels an excruciating pain in the back of her head. She fell to the floor. She felt a hand grab her and lift her up. Before completely blacking out, she got a look at the persons face. "N-Noo…." She mumbled in a low voice.


End file.
